METROPOLIS, Ill. — Honeywell officials are saying little about it and investigators are saying less, but a federal grand jury reportedly is probing apparent problems with hazardous waste storage at the company’s Metropolis Works Plant.

The industrial facility on the outskirts of Metropolis manufactures a line of fluorine products, including uranium hexafluoride, UF6, for nuclear fuel. It was in a required financial disclosure — a 10-K report to the Securities and Exchange Commission — that Honeywell divulged that storage of some byproducts of UF6 production is being examined by the U.S. Department of Justice to assess whether it meets federal environmental requirements.

Note:

The Metropolis Works Plant (MTW) is owned by Honeywell and operated by Honeywell’s Specialty Materials division which deals in a variety of high-performance materials, including nylon, polyethylene, fluorine and electronic materials.

Located in Metropolis, Illinois, Honeywell-MTW began operation in 1958 to satisfy a contract with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Following completion of the contract, the facility was mothballed in 1964. The facility underwent rehabilitation in 1967 and has operated as a private converter since 1968.